
What is Discover Pharmacy Day?
Discover Pharmacy Day is a one-day session that gives secondary school students a sneak-peek into the world of pharmacy. Taking place in our award-winning Pharmaceutical Sciences building, you will participate in fun, interactive workshops that are modelled after our Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum, and learn the clinical skills and science behind pharmacy practice. At the end of the sessions, you will discover that pharmacy is much more than dispensing medications – it's a profession that is devoted to improving health outcomes!
Join us for a day of discovery:
Date: Saturday, November 18, 2017
Time: 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Location: Pharmaceutical Sciences Building 2405 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Cost: Free, open to high school students (Grade 10-12)
Schedule
8:30 - 9 a.m. | Check-in |
9 - 9:30 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. | First Workshop |
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. | Second Workshop |
11:15 - 11:30 a.m. | Break |
11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Media, Marketing and Medications – Filtering Out the Nonsense by Using Common Sense - Dr. James P. McCormack, Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences |
12 - 12:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
Workshops
What's my BP?
Hypertension is a common cardiovascular disease and requires careful monitoring. In this workshop, you'll learn about systolic and diastolic blood pressure, you'll measure your own blood pressure using an automatic blood pressure monitor and you'll learn how to reduce your cardiovascular risk. A little exercise goes a long way...
Meet the Sims!
In pharmacy school, our students use human patient simulators to learn how measure heart rate, respiratory rate, and much more. These are highly advanced robotic mannequins that mimic physiological responses of real patients. You'll learn how to use a stethoscope and you'll measure your own temperature by different routes using different types of thermometers.
Assess the Rx - Think like a pharmacist!
What do pharmacists actually do after you drop off your prescription? This workshop will demonstrate the steps that pharmacists follow to assess prescriptions, resolve drug therapy problems and ultimately ensure that their patients get safe and effective drug therapy. At the end of this workshop, you'll start thinking like a pharmacist!
Take a Deep Breath!
Have you ever wondered what it's like to live every day with a respiratory condition like asthma or COPD? This workshop will give you an idea of what it's like to live with these conditions and how medications can help.
Opioids - the good, the bad and the ugly
You've probably heard the term "opioid crisis" in the news but what does it all mean? Although opioids have revolutionized how we treat certain types of pain they can be deadly when misused. In this workshop you will learn the basics of opioids, the opioid crisis and how to use a take-home naloxone kit to save the life of someone who has overdosed.
Your Pathway to Practice
So you want to be a pharmacist, but how do you get there? Pharmacy at UBC is a professional program that requires at least two years of prior post-secondary study. In this session, you will learn about the educational requirements for UBC's Entry-to-Practice PharmD program, and hear stories from real pharmacy students about how they prepared for pharmacy school.
Lecture
James McCormack BSc, BSc (Pharm), PharmD
Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. James McCormack received his undergraduate pharmacy degree at the University of British Columbia in 1982 and completed a Hospital Pharmacy Residency program at Lion's Gate Hospital in North Vancouver in 1984. He received his doctorate in pharmacy (PharmD) in 1986 from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. He has had extensive experience, both locally and internationally, talking to health professionals and consumers about the rational use of medication.
Dr. McCormack has presented over 400 seminars on drug therapy over the last 25 years, focusing on shared-informed decision-making using evidence based information and rational therapeutic principles. In addition, he has published over 100 articles, mainly in the area of rational drug therapy, and served as an editor for two internationally recognized textbooks on rational drug therapy. He is also the co-host of a very popular weekly podcast called The Best Science (BS) Medicine podcast, which can be found at therapeuticseducation.org and the iTunes store.
Apply Now
We will be accepting applications until Monday, November 13, 2017 11:59 PM PST. To apply, please fill out the application form below.
Spaces are limited! Be sure to apply early and show us why you are interested in learning more about pharmacy! We will contact all applicants on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 to confirm the status of your application.